CONCORD — A bill that will allow first-time offenders of the state’s driving while intoxicated laws to obtain a limited license to go to work, rehabilitation and medical treatment was passed by the House of Representatives by a voice vote Wednesday.

Under HB 496, offenders will have to pay a $50 application fee and petition a judge to be considered for the limited license. If approved, they will have to equip their vehicle with an enhanced technology ignition interlock device at their expense.

The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee recommended the bill as ought to pass with amendment, 16-1. Rep. Robert Cushing, D-Hampton, wrote that the committee believes this limited driving privilege will allow first-time offenders to maintain their employment while abiding by the strict requirements of the law.

Offenders who are caught driving to and from places outside of work, rehabilitation and medical appointments will be treated as if they are driving with a revoked license.

Last week, Pat Sullivan, executive director of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, said his organization is against the bill because it would be cumbersome for police to enforce a law that would allow some people to drive some of the time. Sullivan said the state needs tougher DWI laws, not weaker ones, especially considering the number of fatalities New Hampshire had on our roadways last year.

In 2013, 133 people in the state lost their lives in motor-vehicle crashes. It was the highest number of fatalities in five years. Approximately 37 percent of all fatal crashes in the state are alcohol related, according to the New Hampshire Driving Toward Zero coalition.

John Tholl, a former Dalton police chief, was planning to propose the bill before he lost his re-election bid in 2012. The retired New Hampshire State Police sergeant said technology with interlock devices has dramatically improved and, if used properly, can prevent drunken driving.

The bill was proposed by Rep. Steve Shurtleff, D-Penacook, who was named the 2013 legislative champion by Mothers Against Drunk Driving of New Hampshire. MADD is for HB 496 because it would expand the use of ignition interlocks for convicted drunk drivers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ignition interlocks are effective in reducing drunken driving repeat offenses by 67 percent. Research shows interlocks are more effective than license suspension alone because 50 to 75 percent of convicted drunken drivers continue to drive on a suspended license. Interlock devices can now use real time to email a picture of the person blowing into it, their location and the results of the test to a server which notifies state police if anything is out of the ordinary.